Nowleading

What happens when your church helps launch an actual coffee-roasting business? This is something that Nick Larsen, pastor of Living Water Church in Clark Fork, Idaho, knows all about. A few years ago, Scotchman’s Coffee was launched as a partnership between the congregation, a couple of members, and the church community. Listen to the latest episode of the NOWLeading Podcast to hear more about this exciting adventure.

COVID-19 has challenged ministries and leaders to make adaptive changes across the board. Pastor Matt of Our Savior Lutheran in Tacoma, WA, shares thoughts on how the staff of OSLC pivoted to support people over programs, kept the target on relationships, built healthy spiritual habits into their leadership calendars, and as a team is working together to strengthen their faith community every day of the week.

Paul and Dust talk about the role of mentors, Paul remembers his father's lasting influence, and they discuss how to be mentored and find a mentor. This one's good to share with anyone you know looking to grow in a particular area and not sure how to find a mentor!

President Linnemann provides an update on key changes in the calendar for the District Convention for June of 2022, and we celebrate NOW District Communication Director Vicki Knutsen's many decades of ministry leadership.

Tom and Matt share the values, leader behaviors, and steps to launching a new church plant. Take-aways include the need for trust between leaders, collaboration, knowing your community and its values and culture, and most of all, having a sense of joy and humor! This podcast is a hosted conversation (edited for time constraints) by the NOW Start Network (nowstart.net) on the launch of a church plant in Kuna, Idaho, by Friendship Celebration Lutheran Church of Meridian, Idaho.

Adaptive challenges are ambiguous, systemic challenges that do not have single, technical solutions. We cannot "arrange the deck chairs" and expect to solve adaptive challenges. This conversation with Amy Schweim unpacks a critical issue in her community that was amplified by COVID-19, and how she creatively faced this adaptive challenge. Amy shares how she and her team of leaders help families and children in their community through a new child-care support program that helps children do homework and have fun. Insights include foundations for understanding your community, dealing creatively with adaptive challenges, and the layers of influence that result from facing an adaptive challenge.

The NOWLeading Podcast launches 2021 with a double focus for helping leaders do their best work: "sustaining healthy ministry" and "starting new." This episode captures a far-ranging conversation hosted by the NOW Start Network (nowstart.net) with Pastor Matt Peeples of the Kairos Network (thekairosnetwork.com) on the "why" behind church planting and starting new, and how to connect your "why" to tangible leadership behaviors as a start new leader.

How do we start new, even in the midst of our current challenges? Dust has a conversation with Pastor Mike Von Behren, a founding member of The NOW Start Network, on how Jesus re-oriented his heart as a shepherd, and his change from “housekeeping” to community care in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way, they re-cap the recent online NOW Start Network video-conference attended by almost 50 participants from across the Northwest, Pastor Mike shares powerful stories from guest speaker Pastor Nate Schaus, and they discuss encouraging stories of starting new from across the Northwest.

How do we measure the influence of a century-old university when it closes? In the second part of this two-part episode, Dust returns to a personal conversation with Dr. Linda Borecki, adjunct faculty at Concordia, University—Portland, about its influence in her life as a student in the 1980’s and as an instructor of “Millennial" and “Gen Z” students in the last decade. If you’re into conversations that are more about people than institutions, more about relationships than programs, then you’ll find this podcast worth listening to! (This 2nd conversation occurred in the final week of Concordia’s closure at the end of April 2020.)

How do we measure the influence of a century-old university when it closes? In this two-part episode, Dust has a personal conversation with Dr. Linda Borecki, adjunct faculty at Concordia, University—Portland, about its influence in her life as a student in the 1980’s and as an instructor of “Millennial" and “Gen Z” students in the last decade. If you’re into conversations that are more about people than institutions, more about relationships than programs, then you’ll find this podcast worth listening to! (This 1st conversation occurred in the final week of Concordia’s closure at the end of April 2020.)

What is a mission-focused response for the challenges of the COVID19 Pandemic? Dust facilitates a national video-conference conversation (this podcast is the audio portion) hosted by the North American Mission Endeavor. NAME is the formal organization of LCMS district mission executives and other LCMS partner executive leaders. The bulk of the conversation is a presentation/response by Rev. Chris Paavola, church planter at All Nations Church, followed by a panel response, and some following questions. The four questions addressed by Rev. Paavola: 1. How does the church use this opportunity to multiply, equip, and release lay leaders in this new reality? 2. How can existing churches be proactive as a Spirit-led movement of multiplication, rather than merely conserving the normal by making it smaller? 3. What permissions and resources do missionally thinking lay leaders need from our leaders in the church? 4. What are some practical suggestions for sharing the Easter message with our families and nei

Can ONE WORD really change how we connect with our community and neighbors? Listen to this episode to find out what the word actually is! Hint: it starts with “C” and ends in “us.” Dust explores one of the “golden threads” that runs through a number of interviews on the NOWLeading Podcast and unpacks the ramifications of living out this ONE WORD. Reminder: The NOWLeading Podcast is about ”exploring the art of leading from a Lutheran point of view.” The conversations and thoughts on the podcast are built on the assumption that we are living in an era of transition. This era requires leaders with a strong set of values who are resilient, compassionate, and flexible.

As part of the Catalyst Grant Program, Dust catches up with Doug and Julie of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Spokane Valley, WA, on the story behind launching the very first comfort dog ministry in the Northwest with Marie, Comfort Dog (through Lutheran Church Charities). Included in this podcast are great stories of the impact of this ministry and details on how to start a comfort dog ministry. For leaders interested in launching a comfort dog ministry, contact details for Doug and Julie and their ministry team are included in the podcast at the end.

PLANTING A NEW CHURCH WITH DISCIPLE GROUPS. Matt shares how a local congregation in the Boise, Idaho, metro area is mobilizing to meet the “wave of urban migration” by planting a new congregation through the use of small groups and an active disciple-making process. Matt describes the difference between membership and discipleship, and unpacks how “helping someone grow” can be the foundation for helping a new church plant grow too!

PLANTING A NEW CHURCH WITH A WHOLE-PERSON VISION (FITNESS CENTER INCLUDED). Clint and Mike share the impact of Xrossway on relationships with the community and the non-profit management model for a fitness center. Mike shares the incredible story of how he moved from Nebraska to Idaho to help manage Xrossway (thank God for mother-in-laws!)and the captivating power of a BIG vision for doing good in your community.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE CRITICS! A conversation with Ty (30-years starting new businesses including an investment company, Arbor Capital Management, and Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna Alaska) at the NOW Start Networking event about his presentation. Warning! This conversation includes rare and powerful insight into the influence of critics on the entrepreneurial mindset.

BE A PART OF THE NOW START NETWORK! If you’re considering starting something new in the NOW District, this one’s for you! Dust interviews Brian and Mike about the influence of the NOW Start Network and its unique expression of the Pacific Northwest pioneering spirit. The conversation includes the vision for NOW Start Network and a focus on getting things started from scratch.

Paul and Dust discuss challenges to ministry locally, and offer suggestions and resources for leaders and congregations to partner together to impact a region.

President Linnemann provides a helpful introduction to the call process, and offers important steps every calling group should consider in the call process.

Paul and Dust focus in this episode on the actual document “Workers For His Harvest.” They remind the listener that Lutheran DNA includes creating space to listen to one another respectfully, and discuss theological issues in a meaningful way together. Paul shares why he thinks this document is meaningful for him and meaningful for the LCMS in our time. He provides a brief introduction to the document’s purpose and some of its perspectives and encourages the listener to not only read the document but make time to discuss it with others who have also read it. The document can be accessed at workersforhisharvest.com